


Stream-Ra and the Gamers of Power

by feistypants



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is awkward as fck, Catra acts tough online but is Soft, F/F, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), POV Adora (She-Ra), Streamer AU, adora is definitely not subscribed, catra has an onlyfans, enby adora, nothing is super plot-heavy in this i guess so you can kind of skip what you want!, there will be smut but it will be noted at the top of the chapter notes, they're all gamers who stream, this is a very niche au please enjoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28100988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feistypants/pseuds/feistypants
Summary: #introductionsShe-Ra>> uh, hi everyone! thanks for inviting me :) i go by she-ra, i’m 23, she/they, my twitch is giantswordlady - twitter is the same - and um, i guess that’s it! I’m super new to streaming so please dont hesitate to let me know if im doing something crazy wrong! cant wait to play with you!This is the beginning of your direct message history with@Catra.Catra>> Hey, do you have a minute? I like to voice chat with new members just to make sure we’re on the same page.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 162
Kudos: 547





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh!! hi!
> 
> Welcome to this niche little AU that my friend [Bex](https://twitter.com/lunarbex) and I conjured up with some help from multiple people on twitter ;w; This is pretty much just going to be more a collection of one-shots within the verse that ultimately do all line up, but I won't be writing every little detail. Just specific scenes that seem fun!
> 
> It's a pretty collaborative AU ([we use the tag #streamra on twitter and are trying to gather everything in one place](https://twitter.com/stream_ra)) and we're SO happy and encouraging of people adding their headcanons and ideas over on twitter as well!!
> 
> (note that we do have a general overarching plotline set up! but we love all the in between ideas :3)
> 
> (also tbh i have no idea how long things will be or anything it's very much going to be a whenever i feel like writing and however much comes out chill project haha)
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this very self indulgent little AU~ :)

Adora slid her headset back over her ears, grimacing when Glimmer’s overly excited voice came tearing through her computer. “So you have OBS set up, right?”

“Ye -- wait…” Adora clicked through all the screens on their monitor and sighed, nodding to themself. “Yes.”

Bow’s voice came in, way more calm and reassuring. “Webcam on and clear?”

Adora checked the framing of her video, slightly annoyed that they had suggested she just go ahead and put her face up. “Yep.” She really wasn’t the _most_ comfortable with strangers knowing what she looked like, but Glimmer and Bow had reassured her that she’d get more viewers this way because she was - as _they_ eloquently put it - ridiculously hot, but in the approachable way that gamers liked.

“Overlays?”

A short moment of panic took over. “I…” They clicked through and saw both their webcam footage and the spotify mini player reflected on their screen. “I just have my webcam and my music…”

“That’s okay!” Glimmer cut in, just before Bow with his own “Totally fine, that’s all I started with too!”

They didn’t feel so certain… “All right… If you’re sure. You guys have those really cool game specific ones --”

“We’ll get you those eventually! But they cost money to commission and you don’t need ‘em.” Adora could hear Glimmer pulling her lights over and getting the last bit of her set up organized. “Should make sure you even like this first!”

And Bow’s final reassurance, quiet and calm. “You’re gonna be fine! We’re going to make sure to link you so you should get at least a few viewers!”

Adora let out a shaky sigh, sure that no one would even tune in to her stream right away, and clicked the _start streaming_ button on OBS, letting her video go live. 

“Hey everyone!!” Glimmer’s voice rang out over her headset as she started up her own stream. “Welcome back! I’m so happy you’re all here. Today is going to be pretty chill,” she continued, her _powered on_ voice even bubblier than her normal one. “Me and Bow are just going to play some league with our other friend, She-Ra! You’ve probably seen them on my streams before, but they're starting out streaming too!”

Adora felt her cheeks flush as she listened, staring probably _too_ intently at her viewer count. It was still sitting at zero.

“So if any of you want to hop over to give them some love, they’re streaming over on twitch at giantswordlady!” Adora realized that Bow probably had Glimmer’s voice echoing out over his stream as well, doubling her potential audience.

It only took a moment before she saw a few viewers pop up, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Glimmer had muted herself in discord to continue talking to her stream as Bow finished setting up their lobby, and Adora swallowed before pulling her chair up a little. 

“H-Hi,” she started, throat dry. “Thanks for um, coming to my stream. I… definitely appreciate it! You’ll have to, um,” she hesitated when the distinct sound of someone deafening discord rang through her headset. “Excuse any rookie mistakes I make, like, you know, not muting myself to my friends.”

> **_SeaQueenMermistuh_ ** _: heyyyy shera. loosen up, babe._

Adora blushed, rolled their shoulders and sat forward again. “Right so, we’re just going to play some norms on league today… we might get the whole ranked team together later but for now we’re just going to play some chill games.”

The invite chimed on their screen and they joined in to see her two best friends’ summoner’s names flashing up. “I uh, might not talk as much. I tend to tryhard a little bit so, I’ll do my best!” Adora clicked around a couple times until she got her gaming playlist going, lowering the volume in her own ears. “Let me know if anything is too loud or too quiet! I’ll try to remember to check the chat as much as possible.”

She saw her subscriber count rise by a few, and officially more than just their typical gaming friends were following her. 

> **_PogginChampagne:_ ** _what do u main???_

Queue popped and Adora quickly clicked on the accept button. “I uh, typically go for jungle nowadays. Glimmer mains mid and Bow ADC!” Adora slid through the bans with practiced ease, rolling her shoulders as she banned the typical picks. “I lean towards bruisers. I’ve been playing a lot of Hecarim lately… but I still have a soft spot for Vi. Maybe that’s,” Adora laughed quietly as they locked in their pick. “... just ‘cause she’s hot. I don’t know.”

The game loaded in and she heard Glimmer and Bow come back over her headset. 

Adora just hoped the nerves didn’t throw them off _too_ much.

* * *

After their streams ended, Glimmer and Bow came over for a late dinner, and they were currently piled on Adora’s sofa eating pizza and talking about how she could improve her next one. 

“Honestly, the feedback you were getting was all super positive! Perfuma said that your lighting was kinda shit though so we can get you some soft boxes!” Glimmer shoved another bite into her mouth and hissed at the burn of it. Adora pressed their lips together to stop from laughing.

“Shouldn’t…” They paused to swallow, frowning. “Like shouldn’t it just be about whether or not I’m a good gamer? I’m not like, getting dressed up or anything for these.”

Glimmer scoffed and dropped her slice back into the box. “Well, _duh_. We don’t want you to be a titty streamer --”

“A… what.”

“-- Like obviously you _could_ be with those honkers --”

Adora’s whole face flushed bright red as she again asked “what??”

“-- But you’re actually _good_ and we should capitalize on that!”

Bow laughed and cut in, waving his hands in front of his face. “Of course there’s nothing wrong with being a, um, titty streamer…” He whispered the last part, as if trying not to offend. “If that’s what you want!”

“I’m still not even sure I know what that _is_.”

Rolling her eyes and leaning back against the couch, Glimmer groaned. “Just… girls who don’t even really care about the game. They just sit in front of the camera half naked and capitalize on horny boys giving them views and money.” She took in a deep breath and then _didn’t breathe again_. “It’s not even like there’s anything wrong with it at least if they’re playing the games! But some of them just sit there and purposely feed and just are _so frustrating_ because it just makes it harder for girls to _actually_ do well in the streamer pool like god at least care about games if you’re going to show off your tits!”

Adora blinked and … potentially made a mental note to look further into these so called titty streamers… so she would know what _not_ to do… of course.

She tried to think of the girls she _did_ watch and could only think of one who even remotely fit the bill. But she was pretty good at gaming! She was high gold in League and platinum in Overwatch and kicked ass in all the other games she played that didn’t have ranked modes… 

But she… definitely could be classified as tits out. And she had an onlyfans. And Adora definitely wasn’t subscribed to it.

No way.

Not Her.

… Okay, maybe after like, a week of agonizing if it was morally right Adora had decided that they were just _supporting_ a streamer they really enjoyed. And it wasn’t like they _did_ anything with the photos! Adora just… admired the artistry of it. Besides, the girl never posted anything completely revealing - at least not without an extra charge. So… Adora was simply doing her best to help someone out financially.

Yeah.

… 

Okay, screw it, the girl was really hot and Adora was a simple lesbian who was definitely into the whole dark and mysterious vibe she gave off. 

“Hellooooo? Earth to the obvious lesbian who is definitely hyperfocusing on tits now?”

And she _also_ had nice tits. 

But Adora would _never_ admit any of this out loud.

“Sorry!” Adora threw their hands up in mock defeat. “You say tits _that_ many times and there’s really only one place I can go with it!”

Bow stood up, obviously embarrassed, and did his best to change the subject. “Aaaanyways! Unfortunately like, part of the whole thing _is_ making sure you look good and putting on a bit of a show! We should find you a gimmick or a theme, I think! Like you know how Mermista is all ocean goddess and Perfuma has the floral theme and Glimmer is bright pinks and sparkles…”

Leaning back into the couch and crossing their arms, Adora felt a pout taking over their mouth. “Why? Can’t I just keep playing and letting people come to me if they want to? I don’t really need this _financially_.”

“It’s just more fun!”

Glimmer shot up, her hair bouncing on her shoulders. “Wait! It’s so easy! We should just… make you _totally_ She-ra themed! Princess of Power and all! Like _we_ know you were obsessed with the show as a kid, and that you were even _named_ after her right? So like we can make all your overlays themed and color coordinated and you can just… you know, leaaaan~” she hummed, letting her entire body fall on top of Adora’s. “~Into it!”

Laughing, Adora shoved their best friend to the side and rolled their eyes.

“Plus, you’ve got those big muscles. Do the superhero savior of the universe thing and let everyone know how jacked you are.” Glimmer pinched at Adora’s bicep, and Adora shoved her hand away again. “You’re already going to get a good chunk of girls watching.”

“All right, all right.” Adora crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

* * *

After two weeks of streaming every other day, trying to get used to these newer overlays that Glimmer had decided were necessary, and still doing all of her schoolwork, Adora was already _exhausted_. They were trying their best to find the sweet spot between stream length and what was doable for them while not neglecting their degree or their personal routine. 

It _was_ nice that her schooling was online and she could do it on her own time… but it was taking an extra dose of discipline not to just say screw it and play games all night with her friends; and that was only about to get _worse_.

“Adoooora!” Glimmer practically blew out Adora’s ear drums after hopping into the voice chat they all pretty much lived in. 

Adora pulled her headphones away from her ears, wincing. “Ow.”

“Sorry sorry sorry but I have _great_ news!”

There was no mistaking the sound of Glimmer bouncing in her ridiculously plush and pink seat.

“Well go on then,” Adora snickered, leaning back down to continue writing her notes for class.

Glimmer practically _squealed_ as she started. “Well a little bit ago we - Bow and me, but you probably figured that - well we submitted your name to get added to this like, kind of exclusive streamer discord that we’re in. The owner is like, _really_ big right now and it’s a cool way to find more people to stream with! Mermista and Perfuma and even Seahawk are in it too! 

“Buuuut the owner has to approve everyone and she’s _kiiiiinda_ standoffish so we weren’t sure if she’d say okay but she said she’d watch a couple of your streams and see if there was like promise or anything and she _finally_ got back to us…”

Glimmer was holding her breath, without a doubt too excited to tell Adora the news. 

Adora was a little ashamed to admit it, but she was actually kind of on the edge of her seat. “Okay, and?”

“Aaaaaand she said yes!”

The invite popped up in chat almost immediately, and Adora felt her whole face flush. The server was simply titled “Streamers That Don’t Suck” and Adora wasn’t quite sure if they fit into _that_ categorization, but they coughed and hovered over the accept invite button. 

“Are you _sure_? I’ve only got like… maybe twenty subs?” They ran over her friends’ subscribers in their head and knew that they all had at least a thousand, probably some of them way higher. 

Glimmer scoffed and lilted her voice in that way she did when she thought Adora was being ridiculous. “She watched you! She clearly thinks you’ll get along with her friends too!”

“You said she’s standoffish though! That’s…”

“Pleeeeaaaase,” Glimmer started, laughing. “She just doesn’t really like _me_. We clash a lot! But it’s okay, she gave us an enthusiastic yes for you! Or -- okay, maybe not _enthusiastic_ , at least not by our standards, but it was more positive than usual!”

That really wasn’t doing much to ease their nerves. But they knew Glimmer wouldn’t put them in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation… right?

“Just accept the damn invite, Adora,” Glimmer sighed, irritation clear in her voice.

With a groan, Adora clicked _Join_ and was immediately taken to the channel of rules.

> _#server-rules_
> 
> _1\. 21+ only._
> 
> 2\. Don’t be a fucking asshole. Seriously. Just be chill and everything will be fine.
> 
> 3\. Alongside this: If you say anything homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, etc I will not hesitate to permaban you.
> 
> 4\. Let my mods be mods. Do not try to undermine them or do their job for them.
> 
> 5\. Take any exclusive or personal conversation to DMs.
> 
> 6\. If there’s a clearly full VC, don’t join if you’re not playing. We have about fifteen different VCs so that people can be where they need to be and not step on any toes
> 
> 7\. Let people know if you’re streaming so they can behave how they’d like to in someone else’s stream.
> 
> 8\. If you want to invite anyone new to this server, DM me. I like to vet people who are potentially going to join. I’ll give you a single use invite code when I approve them.
> 
> 9\. I don’t really care if you’re active or not, but don’t flake out if you’ve agreed to join something.
> 
> 10\. Other than that, I don’t care. Play whatever games you want with whoever you want. GLHF.

> _ >> Please react to the green check when you’ve read and agreed to the above rules! _ _  
> __ >> Then head over to #introductions and tell us a little about yourself including name, age, pronouns, streaming channel, and any other social media or facts you’d like us to know. _  
> _ >> Finally, check out #roles to assign yourself to roles! _  
> >> Thanks!

Adora bit her lip and hovered over the check, sighing before clicking the well used reaction, and then felt herself jump when a whole plethora of other channels appeared. They hadn’t really joined many big servers before, so all of this felt _very_ new. There were separate sections for the most played games, gen chats, suggestion channels, tips and tricks, personal spaces and, jesus, Adora already felt completely overwhelmed. 

“Dont forget an intro!”

Shit, she forgot she was still on a call with Glimmer. 

“I got it!”

> _#introductions_
> 
> **_She-Ra_ **
> 
> _ >> uh, hi everyone! thanks for inviting me :) i go by she-ra, i’m 23, she/they, my twitch is giantswordlady - twitter is the same - and um, i guess that’s it! I’m super new to streaming so please dont hesitate to let me know if im doing something crazy wrong! cant wait to play with you! _
> 
> **_HugMonster_ **
> 
> _ >> Welcome She-Ra!!!!!!! Wow it’s so cool to have a new face in here!!! It’s been a while!!!!!!! I hope you love it here!!!! _
> 
> **_SpaceCadet_ **
> 
> _ >> She-Ra? Like the cartoon from the eighties? Coooool. _
> 
> **_She-Ra_ **
> 
> _ >> haha yeah, my parents were obsessed with it and i guess the obsession got passed down! _
> 
> **_SeaQueenMermistuh_ **
> 
> _ >> ooooh yes baaaaabe so excited ur here. _

A bunch of reactions started piling onto her original intro, and Adora jumped over to the roles channel, selecting her pronouns, preferred games, and some other options that let others mass ping when they needed fills.

“Hey,” Glimmer popped back into VC, startling Adora. “I gotta go - date night - but text us if you need anything!”

Adora rolled her eyes affectionately, popping back into the introduction channel to see a bunch more welcomes. “Yeah, for sure Glim. Have fun and let Bow know I say hey!”

“I wiiiill!” she sang before disconnecting.

Laughing it off and turning their attention back to the server, Adora noticed a new DM in her inbox, from a display picture they didn’t quite recognize. It looked… somewhat familiar, maybe? But she couldn’t _quite_ place it.

She opened it.

> _This is the beginning of your direct message history with_ **_@Catra_** _._
> 
> **_Catra_ **
> 
> _ >> Hey, do you have a minute? I like to voice chat with new members just to make sure we’re on the same page. _

Adora’s whole mouth went dry. What? Glimmer did _not_ warn them about this.

> **_She-Ra_ **
> 
> _ >> uh, yeah! sure! can you give me just one minute? _
> 
> **_Catra_ **
> 
> _ >> Sure. Call me whenever you’re ready. _
> 
> **_She-Ra_ **
> 
> _ >> awesome thanks itll just be a min! _

Adora stood up quickly and felt panic rushing through her veins. Okay. This was fine. This was _fine_. They shook out their hands at their sides, flexed their fingers three times and blew out a heavy breath. This was _fine._ But what the hell, Glimmer! She could have given Adora a _heads up_. Glimmer knew that they needed some time to prepare for this kind of stuff; it _always_ sent her anxiety sky high.

But this was _fine_. She felt like it was going to be a quick chat. Easy. Just… fine.

They sat back down, pulled their headset over their ears, and took a deep breath.

She pressed the little phone icon.

And then, when both circles were green…

“Hello?”

“Hey, _She-Ra_. How’s it hanging?”

Adora felt all of the blood drain from their face. Shit. She _knew_ this voice. She listened to this voice while she studied. And she…

Oh no.

Ohhh noooo.

“Holy shit.”

Oh, god damn it, that was _not_ supposed to be out loud. 

But oh _god_ she had the cutest giggle Adora had ever heard.

“I-I’m sorry, wow, I just… uh… Been watching you for a bit and didn’t realize this was _your_ discord.” Adora felt like she was floundering, her cheeks now burning red. “Glimmer just never… she never said whose it was so I… ah, jeez, sorry, sorry.”

That adorable little giggle again, and Adora was sitting forward in their chair staring in utter disbelief. 

“You’re cute.”

Shit.

Adora’s whole body was buzzing, the constant noise of static ringing in her ears. How on _earth_ was this happening? _TheForceCaptain_ \- who, up until this moment Adora had only known as such - was talking to _her_. Calling _them_ cute?

Holy shit.

“Whaaaat?” _Oh my god. Calm down_. “I… nooooo.” They laughed uncomfortably, and practically dropped their forehead against the cool surface of their desk. “So, uh, how can I help you?”

“Ooooh.” Catra’s - _she_ _knew her name now_ \- voice was low and raspy, and holy shit Adora was absolutely melting. “So transactional. Are we keeping it professional? Or can I know your real name?”

“It’s Adora,” slipped from their lips before they even had a second to think. Damn it. “Ah… please don’t tell anyone that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me, _Adora_.”

A spike of heat shot through her core. Adora could almost _see_ the plush curve of Catra’s lips around her name, vivid images of things far too _inappropriate_ to be thinking about right now setting themselves up firmly in her mind’s eye.

Fuck.

“So, um,” she started, coughing to clear her throat and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “What… What did you want to talk about?”

A low hum came through her headphones and Adora wiped awkwardly at their face, trying their best to get rid of the flush still on their cheeks. “Ah, nothing important. I just watched a couple of your streams and thought you were kinda hot. So I wanted to talk to you.”

That was it. Adora’s entire brain was short-circuiting, and all they could do was bark out an awkward laugh. “You… Me? That’s… wow. Uh, okay, haaaa.”

“Damn. You’re hard to compliment.”

Adora felt her entire body flushed with embarrassment as she sunk lower into her chair. How was this happening? What… This was fake, right? She was being pranked. Or _something_.

“I…” Another uncomfortable laugh tore from her mouth and she clamped a hand over her lips. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, bringing her knees up to her chest. “I’m…”

“Oh, fuck,” Catra’s voice sounded a little panicked now. “Ah, I’m sorry. I just got gay vibes from you but if you’re _not_ I can definitely stop I just --”

“No!” Adora was sitting up straight now, hands braced on their desk. “Gay. Me. Yes. I am… definitely a lesbian. Women. Yeah.”

“Oh, Okay.” A heavy silence fell for a moment. “Well, good. Same page, then.”

“Is…” Adora felt a smile pulling on their lips. “Is _that_ the same page you wanted to get on?” She couldn’t help but sit forward, her whole body tight with excitement.

And then “shut up.”

And then the call disconnected.

> **_Catra_ **
> 
> _ >> Great. Same Page. Welcome to the server, Adora. We should play together some time. _


	2. Chapter 2

**_Step 1: Make Friends_ **

Adora made sure to hop onto every opportunity to play with new people. There were about fifty people in the server, which really wasn’t  _ that  _ many, and some weren’t too active or mostly played games that Adora didn’t care about.

So really, all in all there were only about fifteen people that they talked to frequently enough to consider potential new friends - but they were all awesome, so Adora didn’t find she minded the small group much. In fact, it was way less intimidating than trying to befriend an entire server.

When playing as a group within the discord, Adora tended to favor more chill games. They did a lot of Minecraft and Among Us, which was always fun and definitely led to some funny streams and stories, and of course it was always a riot to play ARAMs and URF in League.

As Adora got to know them better, a closer-knit circle started to form - the people they could count on almost every single time to stream with them - and they even developed a circulating team of full fives for ranked and normals in League.

Mid was either Glimmer or Mermista. Bot lane was frequently Bow and Perfuma, but Glimmer liked support on occasion as well. Top was usually Scorpia or Sea Hawk.

Then Catra and Adora tended to fight for jungle.

(Though, in all reality, everyone in their group were pretty flexible players and could fill in wherever they were needed. Sometimes they went in completely different positions depending on the vibe of the day, which Adora  _ definitely _ appreciated.)

If Catra and Adora  _ really _ couldn’t decide who got to jungle that game, they would do a quick sudden death 1v1, with everyone spectating -  _ these _ particular spectators liked to make sure no one was lying, and frequently lended a nice onslaught of shit-talk to whoever was doing worse.

But they were evenly matched in skill, so it usually came down to which champions they picked. Catra was definitely a more aggressive player who liked to get kills and carry, whereas Adora played more utility based champs that could outlast the squishy mages Catra tended to lean towards.

After their sixth 1v1, Adora and Catra started to admit how much they could actually learn from one another when it came to getting better.

And that was how Adora started to talk to Catra more.

**_Step 2: Get Viewers_ **

“Hey you fucking plebs, some of you gotta go watch my new girlfriend okay?” Adora couldn’t help but laugh over the mic. They had just started up their stream, and Catra was already trying to flood their viewers. “We’re doing some Overwatch so you’ll still hear me and see my game, but She-Ra is still pretty new and we want to get them affiliated as soon as possible, got it?”

Adora watched their numbers rise and immediately flushed deep red after realizing what exactly Catra had said. That was… weird?

“Besides, they’re hot as  _ fuck _ so I know that’s what half of you look for in a streamer anyway, right?”

> **_pothossimp_ ** _ : whoa whoa whoa ???? Girlfriend ?????? What?!?!? _

Adora pulled her foot off of her push to talk pedal and ducked off camera quickly to wipe at her face, a squeak bubbling up from her throat in sheer embarrassment. “Yeesh, Cap,” she started, popping back into the range of the webcam when she could feel her cheeks cooling again. “Embarrassing me already, huh?”

“It’s what I live for, baby.” Catra lowered her voice, soft and sultry, and Adora felt everything in their body heat. “Better start getting good so you can stop stealing  _ my _ viewers, huh?”

> **_dr__girlfriend_ ** _ : holy fucking shit is she for real? Is this actually happening?????????? _

Cracking their neck, Adora turned back to the game. “You’re the one promoting me and streaming with me… I think you just want the excuse to talk to me for hours on end.”

Adora kept Catra’s stream up in a small window to the bottom of their screen, and laughed as they watched her roll her eyes and avoid the question. “Anyway.” 

Booting up the game, Adora noticed that Catra was talking to chat, but clearly had muted herself in Discord. Curiosity got the better of Adora, and they turned the volume up just enough to get a taste of what she was saying. “... nice, okay? Don’t scare off my friends, it’s hard enough for me to make them.”

Adora rolled their eyes and started making their party, clicking the invite button and sending it off to Catra. Their shoulders tensed when Catra continued. “Stop, no, they’re not actually my girlfriend. It was a joke. Please don’t harass them you weirdos.” They watched Catra glance back at her chat before her eyebrows furrowed. “No, we’re seriously just friends, so don’t start on that bullshit, all right?”

Disappointment shook through their spine, and Adora had to consciously prevent their face from showing it for all of their viewers to see. With a red flush they could feel spreading to their chest, Adora scrambled to mute and minimize Catra’s stream, barely missing the soft pink flush that had spread across her cheeks. 

“So, uh,” Adora tried, swallowing hard and turning their attention back to the game at hand and their own stream. “Mystery heroes to warm up?”

Catra let out a soft hint of a laugh. “Let’s do it.”

**_Step 3: Get Your_ ** **Own** **_Viewers_ **

Adora had spent most of their time (time that probably  _ should _ have been dedicated to schoolwork) trying to figure out the best way to get themselves more of their own, well-earned viewers. They had a decent number of subscribers now thanks to playing with their more popular friends, and had hit a twitch affiliate pretty quickly, but a lot of it was feeling rather undeserved.

They never had liked riding on the coattails of other people, and it was why they were so adamant on getting a degree in a field they had some passion for instead of just taking over their parents’ business. Sure, that would have been the easier route, but Adora liked a challenge - liked feeling like they had actually earned something rather than been handed it.

Which is why so much of this felt so  _ wrong _ sometimes. If she hadn’t had her friends to stream with, where would she be? Would she still be sitting at only double digit followers? Would she have  _ any _ subscribers at all? Or would she have given up on this venture because she simply wasn’t cut out for it?

Adora could feel the self-doubt creeping in, and they decided that they needed to do  _ something _ to set themself apart from just being semi-popular because of their friends.

The trouble was, they had  _ no _ idea where to even start.

“You should just capitalize on those big ass muscles,” Glimmer had so helpfully supplied one night that they were just sitting around on voice chat. “Do some sort of… I don’t know, challenge or something.” 

Adora sighed, leaning back in their chair. “Like. Push-ups per sub or something? That sounds… I dunno. Kinda weird?” Chewing on the cap of their pen, Adora stretched their arms up over their head. “Is it weird to like, sell my body for views?” Is that even what they would be doing?

They reached for their drink and rolled their eyes as Glimmer let out a snorting laugh.

“Nahhh, absolutely not! Look how many streamers have OnlyFans and stuff.” Glimmer blew out a heavy breath. “It definitely brings in more viewers, and it  _ definitely _ brings in more income. I mean, you know” she said, cracking her knuckles, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “Even Catra has one.”

Adora choked on the soda they had been sipping, and gasped for air as Glimmer frantically asked if they were okay, a hint of amusement lacing her concern. There was no way in  _ hell _ Adora was ever going to let Glimmer know that they had been subscribed to Catra’s OnlyFans for like a  _ year _ now. They would  _ never _ hear the end of it.

Better to just let her think Adora had been semi-unaware of the whole thing.

“I’m cool, I’m good!” they wheezed, smacking a hand against their chest. A few more coughs came out before they took in a deep breath. “I am… Good.”

Glimmer paused, but Adora could practically  _ hear _ the smile that they knew was on her face. “... Did you not know she had one?”

“No… I did…?” They paused, flushing. Thank god they didn’t have their webcams on. “I just never…” Adora pressed themself further back against the chair, as if trying to escape the conversation. “Never really considered how that might up someone’s viewers, I guess?” Their voice shot up, a clear lie about to cross their lips. “I mean I guess that makes sense with how popular she is! Maybe I should help support her or - oh, no, that’d be weird huh. If I subscribed to her. Ha. I definitely... Won’t be doing that.”

What the  _ fuck _ . Adora muted her mic and dropped her head onto the desk. Repeatedly.

Glimmer rolled on with the conversation regardless, carefully choosing to ignore the weird energy Adora was now giving off. “Yeah... So  _ anyway _ like, maybe you can set up a goal? For every like, 25 subs or gift subs, you do, I don’t know, like ten pull-ups or something?”

A laugh tore out of Adora’s throat, and they sat up before rubbing a palm against their own red and sore forehead. “Do you  _ really _ think that would make more people sub or watch me?”

“... Adora? Yeah. Absolutely.” Glimmer laughed and probably rolled her eyes. “Gamers are horny as hell and would do  _ anything _ for a good show.”

Okay. Maybe they would  _ consider _ it.

What did they have to lose?

**_Step 4: Do_ ** **Not** **_Get a Crush on Catra_ **

“LG!”

Adora startled as a chorus of agreement rang out over the voice chat, everyone calling the end of the gaming session for the night. They couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. It was a Friday night and they were  _ finally _ able to stay on all night but everyone else was bailing. Ah well. At least they could keep playing something else.

They weren’t streaming tonight - Adora had just wanted a chill game night with their friends. It had been an incredibly overwhelming week with school, and frankly Adora was tired of being so  _ on _ all week, so luckily they didn’t have to  _ continue _ to be on and  _ perform _ for viewers. 

But still. It was disappointing.

“You’re all weak as fuck,” Catra hissed, sorting out last details on the map, upping their tasks and cool downs to subtly make the game last longer. “It’s not even midnight!” 

Adora laughed, because they had secretly been thinking the same thing. But leave it to Catra to be the one to point it out. 

Scorpia chimed in, cheerful as ever. “I’d like to give a very  _ kind _ reminder that Perfuma and I are in London right now so… It’s almost five am.”

“All right, all right. You guys are fine,” Catra grumbled, but then her attention turned. “But Mermista and Sea Hawk have literally no excuse. It’s not even nine there, losers.”

“Listen, girl,” Mermista hummed, definitely checking out her nails as she drawled on the last syllable. “We have… other things we’d like to be doing tonight. Like—”

“Oh, just, don’t,” Glimmer cut in, making fake gagging noises. “We know you two are like rabbits but please do  _ not _ give us the details. Especially not while I’m  _ streaming _ .” Adora knew Glimmer’s chat was blowing up, and they couldn’t help but peek over at their other screen, where they liked to keep their friends’ twitch pages pulled up when they were live.

> **_Gluten_Noodle_ ** _ : LMAO POGGGGGG GIVE US THE DEETS _
> 
> **_SpaceBetween_ ** _ : oh dear god please do not my little sister watches y’all _
> 
> **_poggeronis_ ** _ : this stream is adult u shouldn’t let ur lil sis watch _
> 
> **_DragonOtakuRoxy_ ** _ : god i wish i were either of them. Both of them are so hot i just want to be s a n d w i c h e d _

“All right, all right, can we just go?” Adora tried over their loud and played up bickering. “Finish up and let Scorpia and Perfuma go to bed.”

“Our Glorious She-Ra,” Catra mewled as Adora glanced over at her stream, watching her prop her chin in her palm and wink at the camera, as if she  _ knew _ Adora would look. “So pure, always here to save the day.”

“Just press start,  _ Captain _ .”

They played a long round of Among Us - with both the extended settings and honestly no one wanting to be the one to end it dragging it out - where Sea Hawk and Bow were the imposters. Sea Hawk had gotten voted off pretty early, but Bow was always a surprisingly good liar. But eventually, with one last spike through Adora’s crewmate’s heart, Bow won the game for the imposters.

A round of  _ GG _ s later, and everyone was out of the call.

Everyone except for Adora and Catra.

“And then there were two,” Catra teased, her voice soft.

After a moment of almost awkward silence, Adora let out a little laugh. “So,” they hummed, twisting the cord of their headphones between their fingers. They weren’t sure why they were so nervous. It wasn’t like the two of them hadn’t ever played alone before. “Do you want to play something else? I’m not streaming tonight so I don’t have anything set up…”

But something felt… Different?

Adora couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Hang on.”

Catra muted discord, and Adora turned up the volume on her stream.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna end. I know it’s only been like an hour and a half but…” She started closing off screens until her stream was just her webcam and the chat box. Adora could see a bunch of raging emojis and annoyance in the text, but Catra didn’t seem to let it phase her. “Guys please, I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

There was slight annoyance in Catra’s words, but Adora could understand both sides of things. She normally streamed for four or more hours, but she was also completely in her right to end whenever she wanted to.

“Sorry, I just don’t feel like playing anything else on stream, okay?”

She said her farewells and shut it down, taking a few minutes to tidy things up. 

It was impressive to Adora that Catra was able to play whatever the hell she wanted, whenever she wanted. With her subscriber count, almost anything would amass her a good amount of viewers whenever she streamed, and things like ending early or changing it up never seemed to negatively impact her.

Adora was still working on a pretty strict schedule, while trying to find a balance of  _ just _ enough and not  _ too _ much, and what game gets which viewers - all while doing their best not to  _ ruin _ their statistics. 

“Okay,” Catra came back, requesting a video chat instead of just voice. Adora promptly accepted, tugging once on their messy bun to tighten it up. “What do you wanna play?”

Catra’s smile was so soft it was barely noticeable, but Adora could feel their own tugging on their cheeks in response. “Mmm… Maybe Portal 2? I’ve never done the co-op mode.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s  _ so _ fun.”

It was six in the morning when they finally said goodbye, both slap happy and giggling, so tired they could barely keep their eyes open.

They had only gotten through the first course.

**_Step 5: … Fuck_ **

Adora was trying their best to focus on their school work, but honestly learning about the financial and managerial aspects of Physical Therapy was absolutely  _ not  _ stimulating them today. Even having Glimmer on voice chat wasn’t helping like it usually did.

But then Adora heard the tell-tale sign of a new DM, and glanced up at their screen.

Catra’s icon popped up on the side of discord, and Adora felt themselves completely light up. “Hey, Glim,” they mumbled, pulling the mic back down to their lips. “Catra wants to video chat for a bit so I’m gonna go.”

“Ugh,” Glimmer groaned, and Adora heard her drop her hands palm down onto her desk. “Are you two like… a thing?” 

Adora flushed and scoffed. “What?” That voice was far too high to be believable. “No! Of course we’re not!”

“Mhm…  _ Okay _ .” Glimmer didn’t sound convinced at  _ all _ , and Adora felt like she was scrutinizing them. “I mean you’re on voice chat with her more than me these days, and it’s  _ starting _ to feel like you’re replacing me.” 

“What?” Adora sat up straight, feeling their shoulders tense. “Dude…”

“No no, I’m mostly teasing! It’s totally fine!” Her voice grew a little mocking, edging out the slight discomfort between them. “But honestly I’d feel less offended if you guys  _ were _ a thing or at least like, exchanged nudes or  _ something _ .”

“ _ What _ ?”

Glimmer hung up with a giggling  _ byeeee~ _ as Adora sputtered for words, and Adora bit back the nerves that had started slithering under their skin. 

Catra and Adora were  _ definitely _ not a thing.

Were they?

No, of course not. Catra had even said they were just friends.

But… that had been  _ weeks _ ago. And they  _ did _ spend an awful lot of time on video chat now… So…?

No. Definitely not.

They were  _ not _ going to make this out to be something that it wasn’t.

Adora blew out a heavy breath and tugged their sweatshirt over their head before clicking into their DMs with Catra, where an ongoing call was flashing at the top of the screen.

> **_Catra_ **
> 
> _ >> hellloooooo? you gonna pick up or what, princess? I’m losing wood over here. _

Adora pressed the call button and couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across their cheeks at the sight of Catra, long hair tied back into a ponytail, no makeup, in her favorite worn-out Metallica t-shirt. 

She was… Really,  _ really _ pretty.

Adora swallowed hard, noting that Catra hadn’t noticed they joined yet -  _ and,  _ thankfully, hadn’t noticed that they were  _ staring _ .

“Hi there,” they said, hand raising in a small wave.

Heterochromatic eyes snapped up to the screen, and the grumpy look on her face immediately dissolved into something soft, and warm, and Adora knew right then that they were completely and totally  _ fucked _ .

“Hey, Adora.”

_ Fuck _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hi!!! I Exist again. 
> 
> PHEW. Sorry for the long wait on this one. The last two months have been.... a lot. But I appreciate so much all of y'all sticking around!!! 
> 
> This chapter is a little bit of exposition and a short time jump, but I just wanted to get into the meat of them all being friends. Hopefully I delivered!!
> 
> I want to say it won't be as long before another update since I have two more chapters mostly written at this point, but I also don't want to make promises I cant keep!!
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this and as always, I thrive off of your comments and love talking to y'all, even if i'm super behind on replies!!! 
> 
> You can always come hang out and chat on my [personal twitter](https://twitter.com/feistypaaants) (18+ only!!), or the [stream-ra twitter](https://twitter.com/stream_ra) (all ages)!!

**Author's Note:**

> 1/3/20 update: Hi! Sorry if you get a notification for this! I don’t know how updating on ao3 works anymore. 
> 
> I just wanted to make a note that I went back in and edited this to add (and will continue going forward) that adora is a she/they enby :’) so she has multiple pronouns and goes by both! That’s why you’ll see me switching between she/her and they/them for them :’)


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